Tuesday, November 2, 2010

5 Bands You Probably Aren't Listening To, But Should

Sorry there was no post yesterday. I had some Internet issues and was offline most of the day. Combined with starting my NaNoWriMo project, I didn't have any time to post something.

Today I thought I'd use what little influence I have to throw a bit of attention on some lesser known bands. I've mentioned some of them before in previous posts, but now here's a post devoted to them. Check them out when you have a chance.

Carpenter
These guys are from Vancouver, British Columbia, way up there in Canada. I saw them live when they supported Two Cow Garage. They said at the show that it was only their second time in the states as a band, the first being an appearance at The Fest down in Florida last year. (As a side note, it kills me that I've never been to The Fest. Maybe next, which I've said every year for the past several years.) They released their second album in September, the phenomenal Sea To Sky. I really hope I get to see them live again some day. Go to their Facebook and check out the song "Mean Things." They kinda remind me of Hot Water Music, playing guitar-driven post-hardcore with a slight Americana twinge.

The Sweet Revenge
I randomly found The Sweet Revenge when I was looking through the available albums at Death To False Hope Records. Their album Creatures Of Routine is amazing, easily one of my top albums of 2010 (which I mentioned not too long ago when I reviewed it). Great guitar parts, great lyrics. They fall sorta on the musically upbeat side of melodic hardcore, kinda like a poppier version of Strike Anywhere. You can stream the album or download it (for free or donation) here (I especially recommend the tracks "Full House" and "Burning Pictures").

Dan Padilla
Dan Padilla, the band, not the man, as they often refer to themselves online. A great band that I heard about when ThePunkSite featured their album As The Ox Plows on their Free Music blog. The album is great (though I wish the vocals were a bit higher in the mix). They've got a sorta Menzingers/Dopamines pop-punk vibe to them. You can check out As The Ox Plows here, as Paper + Plastick Records have made it available with no financial risk.

Tin Horn Prayer
Apparently my inclusion in the promotional efforts for Two Cow Garage's last album got me on Suburban Home Records' media contact list. That's how I ended up with a free copy of Tin Horn Prayer's Get Busy Dying. And I love it. Only thing I don't like about it is that, like Dan Padilla, the vocals are bit too low in the mix for my tastes. The band who have an interesting alt-country/punkgrass sound, is made up of members and ex-members of various Denver bands.

Drag The River
Drag The River is a band that is, as one of their albums put it, bad at breaking up. They've been around since the 90's and are relatively well-known amongst the PBR-drinking orgcore scene, but have never really made the kind of impact in the mainstream that I think they deserve. Now is a great time to get into them, as they're planning a much-anticipated new album next year, and have posted a set of demos on their Bandcamp page that can be downloaded for a minimum donation of 50 cents. Worth it.